What Happens to Your Old Vehicle When It’s Scrapped?

What Happens to Your Old Vehicle When It’s Scrapped?

So you finally decided to call it quits with your old car and to get it scrapped? Well if you sell it to a used car service like Cash for Used Cars or a scrap yard then you probably made the best possible choice. By turning in your old scrapped car you get good cash that you can use any way you like, you get to free up some space in your yard and you won’t have to do any more spending on futile repairs on something that just doesn’t work anymore. But what happens to your car now? Where does it go and how is your car scrapped?

The scrapping industry is quite interesting. It is mesmerising to see what scrap metal professionals can do with your old car and it is quite interesting to see how something that became useless in your hands turn into something ultimately useful in the hands of someone else.

A whole lot more of your old vehicle is used than what you might think. Here is a quick breakdown of what happens to your old vehicle when it is scrapped.

Repair and Resell

The first thing a used car buyer will do is to see if the old scrap car cannot be repaired and resold at a profit. Other old scrap vehicles will be stripped and used for spare parts to get your car back on track. Very few scrap cars are restored because it is so expensive to get restorations done but some do come out quite well.

Fluid Drain

Oils and other vehicle fluids are incredibly toxic to the environment. These hazardous fluids will be drained so the environment won’t be polluted while the car is stripped. A typical scrap car has up to 37 liters of fluids still left inside it. Some fluids like motor oil will be cleaned and used for greasing purposes. Freon from air conditioners is reused as a refrigerant and antifreeze are cleaned and reconditioned into new antifreeze.

Steel is Recycled

Sixty per cent of your car’s weight is of steel or iron. Once the car is completely stripped and drained of fluids it will be sent to the crushers. The car will first be flattened. Then it will be shredded into bits the size of a fist. Then magnets will separate steel from other materials. Once the metals have been extracted the steel will be used to make new vehicles or for the manufacturing of other steel items such as appliances, construction material and much more.

Other Metals are Also Recycled

Other metals found inside your car like aluminum is also recycled into new materials such as new wheels, engine heads, radiators and much more.

When your vehicle is scrapped every single bit and piece is reused or recycled. This is a fantastic way to say goodbye to your trusted old car because your vehicle won’t end up in landfills where it will pollute the earth and new vehicles and other items will be manufactured from your old car. This also reduces the pressure on our world’s natural resources. Scrapping your old car is the ultimate win-win situation.